El Corazón and the Funhouse are fantastic venues for bands to play. We have a great sound system, big stage, excellent beer selection, etc.
If you are interested in getting booked here you send us the following:
You should send pertinent information about your band such as contact info (name, number, email), a written description of what you sound like, website address, where you have played, who you have played with, press, photographs and/or whatever else you think we should know. If you are a touring band please include prospective dates.
Make sure to include streaming EPKs from Reverbnation, Facebook, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, wherever your fans find you, etc. No in-person inquiries, please. Email is best for most everyone. Thank you.
Give us two to three weeks to listen to your music. While we try to get to everyone in a timely manner, we get tons of phone calls and emails every week, so this process takes time. If you haven’t heard back from us and are serious about booking a show here, please follow up via the email address provided below.
If you see a night on our calendar you would fit on, let us know. If you have an idea for a full line up for your show, let us know that too! While everyone would like to headline a Friday or Saturday, or open for a nationally touring act, we would appreciate more business on weeknights, so don’t be afraid to take a show on one of those dates.
CONFIRMING A SHOW
When you confirm a show with us, you will be provided with, and/or agree upon, the following information:
- the date of your show
- the line-up and billing order (what bands play when)
- the advance ticket price and if there is a day of show price
- load-in and show times, or contact info for who to advance this with
- what the show deal is (costs, payment, age restrictions, etc.)
- who to order pre-sale tickets from if you choose to sell any
- who to contact in case of emergency or if you’re running late
- how to get to The Funhouse / El Corazon
Additionally, some useful information you may be asked to provide for us will be:
- contact names and phone numbers for you and/or your band members
- how many people are in your band
- roughly what the stage plot is (typically “guitar, bass, drums with two vocal mics up front”)
- any special arrangements you may need for your set (ie. “we’re sharing a drum kit with the opening band” or “we are bringing a ridiculously unnecessary lighting rig” or “we need a DI box for our Theremin”)
A show is NOT considered confirmed until these details have been sorted out and agreed upon! If you are unclear about any of the terms set for the show, or are unclear about your confirmation status, please contact our bookers at booking@elcorazonseattle.com – they would be happy to help you sort out your confusion.
Getting paid, about that…
The number one question every band asks at the end of the night is some form of “So, uh, what’s our cut of the door?” (for some reason this is especially true on nights that have had about twelve people pay). And the ensuing conversation generally ends with “Wha…? How are we not getting paid!! ?!?! BUU…we brought out EIGHT PEOPLE (ed. note: 3 paid, 5 guestlist)! UGH that’s so UNFAIR!”
Let’s take a deep breath and read the following paragraph before we fly into an avoidable hysteric tirade:
Most local shows at The Funhouse and El Corazon are booked as a door deal. This means that the show has to cover our expenses (outlined as the “show deal” when booking the show) before anyone sees any form of payment. Expenses typically include rent, sound and security costs on all ages shows, and rent and sound costs on 21+ shows. You are not guaranteed any money before expenses are paid, so it is in everyone’s best interest to hustle your show.
Again, if you are unclear on what these terms are, please contact our bookers before you argue a misunderstood point with show manager at the end of the night.
PROMO 101
“If you book them, they will come.”
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. The Funhouse and El Corazon are their own little destination spot; we have no “foot traffic.” And we mean ZERO. No-one comes to the club except to see the bands. You are responsible for bringing people to the club on the night of your show. That means you must put some serious effort into promoting your show! Keep in mind that if we give you a show and it is not well attended (rule of thumb – about 10 people per band member), we will be less inclined to have you back. If you pack our club, we will love you and want you to play weekends or open a national bill.
Feel free to create your own flyer for the show and post it everywhere you can – drop some off with El Corazon, email us a copy of the artwork for our website, post it on your own site, on message boards etc etc. Physically post them around town, on poles, at record stores, grocery stores, youth centers, college campuses. If you are not artistically inclined enough to create your own poster, let us know and we can have one of our fabulous poster designers whip one up for you for a small charge. Remember to use other forms of advertising if you can: make handbills and hand them out after shows that are similar to your band, utilize your mailing list and websites, do radio station interviews and promotions, submit your show info to weekly newspapers or take out an ad. Do whatever you can to GET THE WORD OUT. If you have any questions regarding show promotions please email promo@elcorazonseattle.com.
Selling pre-sale tickets is another effective way to not only get the word out about your show, but to get an instant commitment from your fans that they WILL be there!
PRE-SALE TICKETS
So you’ve got your show booked and you want to sell some pre-sale tickets. Confused? Of course you are! The following paragraphs will explain the entire process to you:
- Email the office with the name of your band, the date of your show, and how many tickets you would like to pick up. Please email your request to boxoffice@elcorazonseattle.com
- Once you’ve received confirmation that your tickets are ready, you will have to pick them up from the venue. We do not mail tickets out.
Please be aware that by accepting tickets to sell you are entering a contract with The Funhouse and/or El Corazon. You are responsible for the full dollar amount of the tickets you take. So keeping your tickets and your money tidy will be beneficial to us all in the end! Please keep in mind that if you don’t feel comfortable with all that responsibility, The Funhouse and/or El Corazon does not require you to sell presale tickets; however, we are more than happy to supply your band with some if you’d like to take advantage of this great promotional tool!
Once day of show rolls around, please count your remaining (if any) tickets and the money you’ve collected from ticket sales and make sure it adds up correctly before you arrive at the venue. If it does not (more money than ticket sales, missing tickets or money) correct the issue before you arrive at the venue. Your point person will be settling your tickets with the show manager as soon as you arrive at the venue. This means you will not be allowed to sell tickets to people standing in line or to your friends who will be arriving “later”. We will not, under any circumstance, hold any of your pre-sale tickets at will-call. Please make arrangements with your friends to get their tickets to them.
Ordering tickets and not picking them up makes us cranky. As does shoving a pile of wrinkly money and crumpled tickets at us and mumbling “uhdunnuh” when we ask how many tickets you’ve sold. So don’t do that. If you are incapable of conducting yourself in a professional, courteous manner, you will be asked to pack up and leave. Before your set.
NEED TO KNOW BEFORE THE SHOW
The following few paragraphs should give you a good understanding of how your show day will go. If you find that you are unclear about any of the information below or would like to touch base with someone regarding details of your performance, please email our production manager at pettibone1@hotmail.com.
Once you’ve booked a show at The Funhouse or El Corazon, it would be wise to stop by and check out the venue before your show (especially if you’ve never been here before). You may think of special requirements or come up with some ideas for your performance. The Funhouse and El Corazon are pretty well equipped to make your show a special event.
Look at our website calendar or pick up a paper and check your show listing. Make sure your band name is spelled correctly. If the name of your band has changed, let us know BEFORE the night of the show. Make sure the bands are listed in the order that they will be playing on the night of the show (HINT: The HEADLINER is the band listed “first” or “at the top” and the OPENER is listed “last” or “at the bottom”). Make sure all of your band-mates will be available from load in (see below) to curfew. “Dude, but like, my bassist has to work until 9:30, so we hafta play last” isn’t gonna cut it…dude.
Provided you can read and do basic math, here are some (hopefully) useful guidelines which apply to almost every local show that’s booked at The Funhouse and El Corazon. Sometimes there are exceptions to these rules so please make sure you check in with our bookers if you are unsure about any details pertaining to your specific show.
Most of the time we have four to five bands on the bill for any given night. Doors are usually at 7:00 pm and shows usually begin at 7:30 pm. Sometimes there will an hour between doors and show-time. Sometimes we may have an early show in the afternoon, starting at 3:00 or 4:00 PM. And sometimes we may have two shows happening simultaneously – one in the Funhouse and one in El Corazon.
For most shows the Headliner loads-in and sound-checks first. The support/opening bands follow suit. Only headliners and openers can expect to receive sound checks. Support bands can expect a line check. Load typically begins 90 minutes before doors for El Corazon shows, and 1 hour before doors for shows in the Funhouse. Local bands are usually given a 30 minute set – even if they are the headliner.
Unexpected things may come up (traffic, weather, accidents, cancellations, the plague) so we may need to hold doors, or you may need to switch your set time. When problems arise with the logistics of the show, it’s best to be patient and as flexible as possible and to work with the manager to come to a suitable compromise. We want your show to be as smooth and successful as possible, and it helps if everyone works together to achieve that goal.
CHECKING IN
You should pick one person to be the point person for the band. There will be pre-sale tickets to settle, wrist bands to be got, guests to accommodate… etc. It’s easier if there is a designated person for each band.
When you get to the club, the first thing your point person should do is check in with our house manager. Introduce yourself to him/her. This person will direct you where to load your gear and begin the check in process.
Please note that all bands should be prepared to load their gear out immediately after their set. We understand that its cold/raining/you’re tired/sweaty etc etc – please understand that we have limited storage space and cannot accommodate your gear all night. If you take care of it after your set, by the time the end of the night rolls around your gear is already packed and put away, no need to worry that something will be left behind or stolen. We provide a tent to load out under in less than desirable weather conditions (and someone to supervise gear until it is packed safely away). Only in certain VERY RARE circumstances will we entertain the idea of allowing you to bypass this rule.
HOSPITALITY
Your point person will be expected to check in at the appointed load in time (see fun chart above). At this time, he/she will be briefed on what to expect for the night’s hospitality.
Please note that we assign our hospitality based on the number of people in the band (that means people who perform on stage). Please don’t show up the day of the show and expect extra accommodations for sound people, light people, video people, merch people, manager people, parent people, child people, spouse people… etc. If you need hospitality to include these people, please arrange for it with our production manager in advance of the show.
And for short attention spans, the Cliff Notes version is —
1. Your point person will be given one wristband for each person in your band. You are allowed a maximum of TWO “crew” people (i.e. a sound engineer who will be at the board mixing during your set , a merch person, etc).
2. LOAD IN is the appropriate time to settle pre-sale tickets with the show manager (see Pre-Sale Tickets section above).
3. Each band’s hospitality includes ONE guest per member. Each band member will receive two drink tickets.
4. Please put your mom/ girlfriend /babymama/ etc etc on the list if they are not expecting to pay. We can’t make an exception for your entourage just because some bar in Everett always does.
5. If you need any extra accommodations or have any special needs, please arrange for it with our production manager BEFORE the day of the show.
DUMPING TRASH
The Funhouse and El Corazon’s dumpsters and recycling containers are located on the south side of the building in the alley (next to the load out door). Please use these bins to dispose of all materials you wish to get rid of upon departure (ie bags of trash from buses/vans; cardboard boxes from merch shipments) instead of the sidewalk in front of the venue. Dumping it on our sidewalk is disrespectful and rude! Think of it this way – we don’t come to your house and throw garbage all over your lawn, so please don’t leave your trash on ours.
WE PLAYED A SHOW AND IT DID PRETTY WELL! YAY! WHAT NOW?
After you’ve played our club and done well, the next step is to do it again under slightly different circumstances – a little later in the week, maybe with a different band or two. Sometimes there may be a national act that needs an opener and you may fit the bill (to be considered for such a coveted spot is all the more reason to make each experience at El Corazon an enjoyable one!).
Please keep in mind that it isn’t a good idea, no matter what your draw, to play too often. It’s important to use some strategy when you plan a show.
A good rule of thumb is as follows:
IF YOU AGREE TO PLAY A SHOW AT EL CORAZON YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY OTHER LOCAL SHOWS AT LEAST 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE SHOW AND 1 WEEK AFTER (AT MINIMUM).
Specifically this means 2 weekends before and 1 weekend after. We’ve seen too many bands, too many times announce to an empty room: “um…this is our last song… come see us at another club this Friday.”
First off, why announce such a thing when the only people there are our staff and a few members of the other bands? Secondly, and more importantly, could the fact of having another show in just a few days have something to do with the fact that no-one came to this one?
LINKS WE LIKE
Here’s a list of things/places we find interesting, useful, and/or worth checking out!
http://www.bottomofthehill.com/booking.html
CONTACT INFO
If you have any booking questions, or need to obtain contact info, please email:
Booking:
Dana: booking@elcorazonseattle.com
Kevin: kevin@elcorazonseattle.com
Marketing/Promo: promo@elcorazonseattle.com
Box office: boxoffice@elcorazonseattle.com
General Questions: info@elcorazonseattle.com